


云 (yún)

by fairyminseok



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-03
Updated: 2015-05-03
Packaged: 2018-03-28 20:01:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3868003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairyminseok/pseuds/fairyminseok
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'Fate comes about in the most mysterious ways - like 7am in a parking lot, when it quite literally lands on Sehun.'<br/>Cloud faeries!AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	云 (yún)

  
  


  
Beauty is a timeless objective quality that while it cannot be defined, is always recognized for itself.

  
  


\--Beauty Is Life, The Seelie Code

.  
  
The thing one must always remember about humans is that they fear the unknown. Anything different or inhuman is treated with mistrust, and the one rule that humans abide by is always simple: kill or control.  
  
There was a point in time long ago, back when the humans weren't as ignorant, back when magic was a fact and the druids reigned free, that the faeries lived in the open. Dancing through circles of enchanted mushrooms, singing along townsfolk, flying through the trees like a million tiny fireflies, beautiful and abundant.  
  
The simpler minded humans were amused by the fae glamour, dazzled by the sound of the faeries' language, lilted and foreign. They lived together in harmony for quite a few years, the fae and the humans, but as it always is with people, peace never lasts long.  
  
The Irish fae fled first, burrowing underground to create great cities beneath the Earth, becoming invisible, unnoticed.  
With new generations and an influx of settlers, things became tense and fear began to grow. Stores of the faeries changed, went from tales of peaceful, magical folk, to nightmarish descriptions of tricksters, malicious and ugly, hiding beneath a cloak of glamour to feign beauty.  
  
The stories soon reached other parts of Europe, weaving into warnings and exaggerated fear, and the Royal faeries of Scotland were the next to disappear, living only at night, deep in the woods out of sight and mind.  
  
The Asian faeries with their graceful nature and tall-pointed ears suffered the greatest, being captured and tortured, framed for horrible deeds that were never committed, accused of stealing children from their very beds.  
These faeries didn't escape downwards. With glittering, majestic wings and curved gleaming eyes, they flew upwards into the skies like a horde of locusts, settling into the clouds.  
  
The Chinese and Japanese continued to fear these faeries, placing protective amulets and prayer beads at the doorsteps, and hanging from their windows.  
  
In Ireland and Scotland the faerie way began to deteriorate. The great underground cities fell into chaos, faes becoming violent, addicted to hallucinogenic wine. The law systems collapsed, and the glamour began to fade.  
  
The fae were slowly becoming the demon-like beings depicted in legend, coming out only in the darkest hours on a wine trip, tricking young children into drowning themselves and making deals full of fatal loopholes with vulnerable young men struggling to support their families.  
  
They caused droughts and famines, horrid winters and stormy summers, scarring the land and throwing humanity into a terror of the invisible force seemingly attempting to destroy their kind.  
To the faeries it was justified. They were there first, living in a history rich culture of harmony. They were driven out of the open, into the Earth.  
  
Endless punishment bestowed on a generation that does not even possess the knowledge of magic and faeries, the stories of the fae mere fairytales.  
  
The Scottish fae were the ones to split the alliance between the faeries, to end the 1000 year peace that had brought them love and harmony for so long.  
  
They created a court to rule all fae. The Seelie court, run by a code of Loyalty and Honour, strict in its rules, ruthless in it's punishment. Fae wine was outlawed, and any faerie found disobeying the Seelie code was either exiled or killed.  
  
The Irish fae and the Northern fae were quick to adopt this court, to enter in and form a new alliance.  
  


  
'Sometimes death is the only path that can erase a mark of dishonour'

  
  


\----Death Before Dishounor, The Seelie Code

.  
  
The Northern fae take this to heart, employing a heavy death penalty on those who oppose the higher court of Siberia, abusing the rights of the code. They are revered by the other fae courts, for their bravery and truth in sticking to the rigidity of the code.  
  
There are some however, who disagree with the Seelie Code, who want nothing to do with it whatsoever, and this includes the Asian cloud faeries, and scattered populations around Europe, and so a rift is born.  
  
There is no war, there is no outcry, just a quiet exiling and the quiet rebirth of a new court, condemned to be known as the Unseelie court.  
  
The Unseelie Code is nearly the complete opposite of the original, valuing passion, impulse, and accepting change for what it is. Honour is nothing in the Unseelie court, for honour is a lie.  
  


  
'It is a fairytale constructed to hide the essential emptiness behind most traditions.'

  
  


\-- Honour Is A lie, The Unseelie Code

  
  
And so it remained that way, for a century and still yet today, the Unseelie and Seelie courts, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. The courts eventually grew so far apart that they became a separate species of sorts, never meeting, living at opposite ends of a day, one above, one below.  
  
Yet there is one group of faeries who live outside the courts, in the cloud cities overlooking the Earth, peaceful and content, a separate entity to the warring and vicious faeries of the green below.  
  
The cloud faeries, descended from the Asian faeries of old, the only fae left with wings, pure and untainted by years of human interaction, by the technology and wines, harmonious and beautiful.  
  
Today, in our modern world of computers and airplanes, of laziness and complete lack of magical understanding, these faeries rarely leave the clouds to descend to our grasses, but of course there always has to be one unlike the others.  
  
A curious young faerie falls from a cloud and into the city, lost and afraid, but astounded beyond belief, hidden away in a secluded parking lot, terrified but interested, and a boy, not yet finished his first year of college is the one to find her.  
  


  
'Nothing is certain in a world where change is the only constant'

  
  


\-- Change is Good, Unseelie Code

  
  


\---- New York City, New York, September 23rd, 2015

  
  
In Oh Sehun's books, 6am is the perfect time for a walk. Winding through back alleys and down deserted sidewalks that are usually busy during the day. Someone who's spent their whole lives in the city that never sleeps can tell you one thing. The city does sleep, and the city is best enjoyed when it is sleeping.  
  
There's something magical about being an overstressed college student in New York City, dizzy from lack from sleep, drunk off the dull morning light, the moments right before the sun properly rises and the grey buildings seem to be swathed in an ethereal blue.  
  
A familiar sight to Sehun, who hums as he turns corner after corner, peeking through dark Macy's windows at displays he sees every morning. Insomnia is a real bugger, but it's almost worth it to see the city wake up every day, to watch the lights turn on and the sun rise high over Central Park.  
  
Sehun is a man of routine, taking the same route every morning, leaving at the same time. He's not fond of change, and he smiles and waves at the same jogger he sees running past him at this exact time, in this exact part of the park.  
  
Sehun, age 20, seemingly equal parts calm and lively, smiling brightly for someone who hasn't slept in three days, is not expecting his entire routine to be ruined, and he especially isn't it expecting it to come in the form of a girl falling from the sky.  
  
It happens when he leaves the massive park, scowling at the Zoo where he works as a receptionist as he walks, thinking of days spent scanning tickets for tired parents and their screaming children. In between 6th and 5th Avenue, right where the shadows of the Museum of Modern Art shield the slow rising sun.  
  
She lands on a car, leaving a dent in the hood before sliding off onto the cold concrete ground, and Sehun panics, running forward and crouching down, anxiety shooting through him. He swears she fell straight from the sky, not from a building, but his mind could be playing tricks on him. He has been awake for three days after all.  
  
The girl is unconscious, but alive and to Sehun's shock, completely unharmed. Unsure what to do with an actual real life breathing female, Sehun carries her over to the wall, out of the bright sunrise, sitting against the wall with the unconscious girl awkwardly in his lap.  
  
He really isn't sure what to do in a situation like this, and his head is spinning. Sehun is confused, and kind of scared, so he does what he always done in a potentially stressful situation. He calls Minseok.  
  
Minseok was once Sehun’s best friend and roommate, but recently he moved to Beijing on exchange to stay with his boyfriend Lu Han. Sehun’s happy for them, he really is but he misses having Minseok around, someone who’s everything Sehun’s ever wanted in an older brother.  
  
Calling Minseok equals ridiculous long distance charges, but Sehun is internally panicking as he feels the girl shift, but not wake up curling her arms to her chest. She looks peaceful, deep in sleep, messy bangs askew. Her clothes seem dated - a knee length poodle skirt, and a buttoned floral blouse - but Sehun absently finds himself thinking that it’s kind of cute.  
  
“Hello?” Minseok sounds bright, and Sehun figures it’s probably mid-evening in Beijing. He hopes he hasn’t interrupted dinner, but then again he knows for a fact that Lu Han has a habit of eating his ‘dinners’ of greasy food from street stalls at odd times of night.  
  
“Hi, Minseok Hyung. Listen this girl fell from the sky and now she’s passed out in my lap and I don’t know what to do.” Sehun tries to sound composed, but his voice comes out in a startled squeak. As he speaks he can hear the city gaining momentum, the sound of engines louder, the sound of birds quieting down, replaced by people.  
  
Instead of Minseok’s usual calm answer, Sehun is instead greeted by a higher voice, accented and teasing singing out through his phone.  
  
“Sehun, did you get laid? Min, Min, ask him if she’s cute. Did she swall-”  
  
“Lu Han, shut the hell up.” That’s Minseok, fighting for the phone back and Sehun giggles. Those two have always been entertainment, and he can admit to being slightly jealous of them, wanting someone of his own, someone he’s willing to relocate entire countries for.  
  
“Ah, I’m sorry Sehun, but just make sure she’s okay, and hopefully she remembers your name and I’ll talk to you later because this is costing a goddamn fortune right now.” Minseok sounds apologetic, and Sehun understands, but he still lets out a pitiful whine into the phone, pouting at the empty parking lot when he’s answered with silence.  
  
He studies the girl, still trying to figure out where she came from. Perhaps she jumped from the roof in the early morning, hoping to leave the Earth in the hours when no one would see, and perhaps his tired brain tricked him into thinking she fell from the middle of the clouds, shimmering and beautiful.  
  
Sehun hopes that she didn’t jump. She’s much too good-looking and delicate feeling, and he feels a strange gratitude that she’s alive and unharmed. He does think about the fall, and how any regular human should be dead. How strange.  
  
Sehun is tired, nearly dozing off against the cold of the concrete wall, relaxing his muscles and watching his breath wisp out into the cooler morning air.  
  
He’s pulled out of it with a start when the girl finally stirs, eyes fluttering open softly as she sits up in shock, blinking at Sehun slowly, and he’s hit with such a feel of innocence.  
  
“Oh hello!” The girl speaks quietly, with an accent that Sehun can’t place, and she doesn’t seem at all bashful to be sitting in his lap as she looks up at him with a curious glint in her eye. “Are you a human?”  
  
Sehun sputters at her ridiculous question and pushes her off his lap.  
  
“Was that an insult?” He says, narrowing his eyes and forgetting his shyness in his anger.  
  
“Of course not!” The girl says and her voice sounds naturally playful, almost flirty, and Sehun fights back the blush creeping up his cheeks. He suddenly feels guilty for pushing her onto the hard concrete. Sehun is not a boy without manners and he stands to his feet, reaching down to pull her up, pausing when she continues.  
  
“It was a very serious question. I fell off my cloud and I’ve never been down to Earth before and I’m not sure about the species integration here you know. Are you fae?”  
  
Sehun is completely flabbergasted at this point, and he simply stares down at the girl in thinly veiled apprehension. She must have been on a drug trip, and leapt from the roof. That’s why she’s asking him if he’s a - if he’s a what?  
  
“What is a fae?” Sehun asks, more like blurts, helping her up off the ground, and he’s struck by the intelligence in her eyes. She seems to be far off but also right with him, glancing at their surroundings as she lets out a giggle, one that sounds like twinkling bells to Sehun’s ears.  
  
“So this is how the world is.” She breathes, twirling away from him and skipping to the edge of the building. She peeks her head around the corner, and then hops backwards playfully, almost like she’s playing a game of hide n seek with herself. The girl turns back to him, and tilts her head to the side, still playful, still flirty.  
  
“I’ve always wanted to see Earth.” She calls out, waving her hands at him to come closer. “Will you show me?”  
  
Sehun makes a decision then. He can’t leave this girl alone while she’s obviously still on some intense trip. He pushes down the still unanswered question of her lack of injuries and her too sunny disposition, and walks forward, holding out a hand.  
  
“I can show you.” Sehun says with what he hopes is a convincing smile, and she practically squeals with joy, interlocking their fingers in a way that is too intimate for the early morning.  
  
“Where do we go first?” The girl asks, poking him in the chest and smiling wide, too close to his face, and he nervously swallows, batting her fingers away.  
  
“First, we’re getting breakfast.” He tells her, tugging her down the street and thanking the cities’ nature for the fact that her strange outfit and his practically pyjamas don’t attract attention, even this soon in the day. “I’m starving and you could use some food I assume.”  
  
“Yes! I’ve always wanted human food.” The girl nods enthusiastically, scampering to keep up with him, and Sehun winces at her lack of shoes, praying that the sidewalks are clean today.  
  
It isn’t until they arrive at a diner and Sehun finds them an empty table and some breakfast menus that he asks the girl’s name.  
  
“My name is Yixin.” She tells him brightly.  
  
“Are you Chinese?” He asks. “My name is Sehun.”  
  
“I’m not quite Chinese.” Yixin giggles, eyes curving up with her laughter as she delicately holds up the menu upside down, trying to make sense of the weird letters. “My race descends from the Old Chinese though. _That_ , I did learn in school.”  
  
“Your race?” Sehun says, turning her menu the right way around for her, and silently pointing to pictures in hopes that she’ll understand and pick one. “What do you mean..?”  
  
“There are different races of fae you know? Underground, Northern, Cloud..” Yixin trails off. “I’m glad your first fae meeting was with me. The other races can be quite vicious so I’ve heard. Though this is my first time on Earth, so I don’t know how accurate my information is.”  
  
“Is it dated just like your clothes?” Sehun jokes, and he mentally reels, wondering why he’s entertaining this obviously insane girl, why he’s buying her breakfast and finding himself well.. drawn to her.  
  
“Are my clothes dated?” Yixin pouts, glancing away from the menu and down at her self. “I thought they were cute. Did I skip a time period?”  
  
She looks so innocent that Sehun can’t help but hurriedly tell her that no, her clothes are lovely and the style would just be called vintage. Yixin tells him that she’s a cloud faerie, from a race that once lived on Earth but ascended above. He helps her pick out a food, french toast. Sehun doesn’t do much eating, too lost in thought trying to figure out this girl. If she was on drugs they would have surely worn off by now - it’s been an hour - and she’s too calm, too self aware to be crazy. He wonders if it’s all some elaborate joke, but his mind keeps returning to the original question. She’d fallen from somewhere above him, and quite fast, yet sustained not a single injury.  
  
After leaving the diner with Yixin raving about human food and how much more she wants to try, Sehun asks her to prove to him that she’s a fae, or whatever the hell they’re called. Yixin nods at him solemnly and seriously, before glancing around the now busy street, bustling with every kind of person rushing to get where they need to be.  
  
“Is there anywhere private around here? I can’t just show you in the middle of a crowd.” She says. “My glamour is turned on, and from what I gather from meeting you, fae kind aren’t the most known, and I’m not sure I want to find out if we’re the most welcomed also.”  
  
The last part is all gibberish to Sehun, but he still finds himself leading Yixin to the giant central park, finding a secluded spot right near the river. She gives Sehun a sheepish smile before holding her hands up to the sky, as if praying.  
  
What happens next is not what Sehun expects to happen - not that he knew what to expect to begin with - but what happens is extraordinary. Yixin whispers in a language Sehun doesn’t know, and the very light around her seems to shift, shimmering and wavering like the air above a hot flame. She twirls once, twice, like a perfect ballerina and when she lands, the air falls like dust, and Sehun feels like he’s seeing something no human has seen for a long time - or maybe, ever.  
  
If Yixin was beautiful before, (wait, when did Sehun start thinking this way?) it’s nothing compared to her beauty now. Her flowing hair is now tied up elegantly, fastened with something Sehun thinks is probably extremely expensive, as are the beads around her neck and the rocks on her dress. The dress itself seems to float on her body like a cloud, and Sehun wonders if it actually comes from the clouds.  
  
What stands out the most isn’t her clothing or the way her eyes glitter with all the hues of a rainbow, but the wings on her back, fluttering slightly and gorgeous, tilted at the ends and adorned with chains.  
  
Sehun is entranced, frozen still standing in the dewy morning grass. The sounds of the city seem distant now and all he can hear is the chirp of a bird a ways away, and a faint hum. It sounds like Yixin’s wings are humming, a beautiful melody that doesn’t feel like it’s even from this Earth, and Sehun supposes that it isn’t.  
  
“Well?” Yixin’s voice is still playful, still endlessly flirty, but now it sounds as if two people are speaking to him, and her voice sounds like a chorus, the kind he wants to play over again in his mind, and Sehun is once again left to wonder how a girl -- no, a faerie -- has literally fallen into his life and captured him so quickly.  
  
It’s then that he noticed a crown atop her head, tiny but glimmering in the soft late morning light, and Sehun stares at it, opens his mouth to speak, pointing slightly.  
  
“I-uhm, are you royalty or something?” He snaps his mouth closed just as fast, embarrassed by what comes out, wishing he had been more careful with his words, and a flush creeps up his neck and onto his cheeks. Sehun is after all, still young, barely twenty, and he looks down.  
  
“Well yes silly. I’m the Princess. Not just any faerie is allowed to hop out of the clouds you know.” Yixin says easily, stepping, no, _gliding_ towards him, ruffling his hair good naturedly. And no Sehun doesn't know, but he doesn’t say that instead flushing a deeper red.  
  
“I’m staying down here for a while though, can I stay with you?” She continues, and when Sehun braves a glance up, she’s back to her human self, magical air around her gone, and poodle skirt back.  
  
It’s amazing how fast Sehun says yes, stumbling over himself as he guides the princess back to his apartment and sets up a bed for her in Minseok’s old room, stuttering as he asks if she wants anything.  
  
“Just wondering though.” Sehun asks over dinner later that night, fully rested from a long afternoon nap. “If you’re royalty, won’t you like, be missed back home?”  
  
“Oh no not at all.” Yixin replies giggling into her meal, a chicken nugget ten piece, “The royal servant always joked that one day I would accidentally fall off a cloud and not return for a while, and well they were right.”  
  
Sehun is a bit nervous at the nonchalance of which she says this statement, but he supposes things work a bit differently up in the clouds, and he hopes to find out everything, already addicted to listening to Yixin tell tales of the skies in her beautiful singing voice.  
  
Sehun is already just a little bit smitten with the faerie, and as he falls asleep that night - finally on a regular schedule thanks to being worn out all day - he does so with a smile on his face, thanking whatever higher power granted him this.  
  
He accepts the faerie thing quickly, always has been a little open to strange things, secretly wishing for something amazing to happen to him, and it really has. He doubts he’ll ever be able to tell anyone, but that’s okay.  
  
Sehun can’t wait for his future now, and he thanks himself for not being asleep when the rest of the city was.  
  


  
‘Follow your instincts and act on your impulses. Live life to the fullest without regard for the consequences. They will come about no matter what you do.’

  
  


\-- Passion Before Duty, Unseelie Code.  
  
---


End file.
